1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sight systems for the blind and more particularly to a sight system that utilizes the senses of hearing, touch, and kinethesis for perceiving objects in a given optical field.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recognition of environmental objects is an important factor in general human mobility. Although most persons depend upon vision for their primary source of information about the features of their surroundings, the blind individual must depend upon his other senses, usually auditive, or, if aided by mechanical devices, the haptic sense. It is known that optical information may be transmitted to the brain by a pathway other than the eye, for example a television system being utilized as the optical sensor to drive a tactile transducer placed against the skin. It is also known that the auditive sense is directionally sensitive, such that a sound can be localized as to the direction from which it emanates. It has been determined that the time difference with which the two ears are stimulated determines the direction of sound emanation. If both ears are stimulated simultaneously and there is no time difference, the sound is heard as being dead ahead. A device for utilizing this time difference in the form of a mobility aid, is disclosed and claimed in Coles application Ser. No. 502,033 filed Aug. 30, 1974, now U.S. Pat. No. 3907434.
Another device useful as a mobility aid is disclosed in prior U.S. Pat. No. 1,820,357 relating to a vision-tone device.